Under The Stars
by She's a Star
Summary: A post-Hogwarts fic. The Weasleys have a Christmas party and Harry and Ginny share a moment under the stars.


Under the Stars  
  
By She's a Star  
  
  
Disclaimer: Pretty much everything but the plot belongs to the great J.K. Rowling :)  
  
A/N: This is a "birthday present" for my awesome buddy, Crystal (PepsiAngel-check out  
her fics :D). Happy birthday (well, on Dec. 7th)!!! Hope you like it, girlie :)  
  
  
Some things were useless, Ginny Weasley thought bitterly as she pulled her red  
hair out of the elegant bun it had been twisted into for the last hour. It fell, soft as silk, to  
her shoulders as she sighed dejectedly and studied her reflection. It was probably the  
freckles...she was eighteen and still looked like a child, for goodness sake! Or maybe it  
was the lipstick...red had seemed too outrageous for Ginny, but Hermione had talked her  
into it, saying it went beautifully with her hair.  
Or maybe, she thought sadly, It's just because I'm Ron's little sister and I'll always  
BE Ron's little sister...in his eyes, anyway.  
When Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had first announced that they were having a  
Christmas party to celebrate Mr. Weasley's promotion at the Ministry, Ginny had been  
ecstatic. She hadn't seen Harry or Hermione in what seemed like forever, with Harry in  
Auror training and Hermione working nonstop at the Daily Prophet. Also, it was just  
wonderful to see her parents so carefree and happy. It had certainly been the strangest  
thing Ginny had experienced (well...one of them) to hear Mrs. Weasley say, "And we'll  
be having this party in style. Since we have the money, why not spend it?"  
The party had been the only thing on Ginny's mind for weeks. She'd helped  
decorate the house, hanging mistletoe in doorways and putting the ornaments on the tree.  
All the while, only one thought had been on her mind.   
I get to see Harry, I get to see Harry.  
But she'd seen him, all right, and nothing had happened.  
Like always.  
She could still hear the merry chatter of the guests downstairs, Fred and George's  
voices louder than anyone else's.   
"I'm not going down there," Ginny muttered to herself, though she knew she  
would. Someone would come in, most likely either Hermione or Mrs. Weasley, and talk  
her into going downstairs and enjoying the lovely party that she'd helped create. "It's not  
as if he's going to notice me...I doubt he's ever going to notice me."  
Sure enough, someone knocked on the door.  
Ginny sighed, ready to just get it over with. "Yes?"  
"Ginny, it's me."  
Hermione.  
"Can I come in?"  
"Mmm-hmm," Ginny murmured. The door swung open, revealing Hermione, who  
was dressed in lavender dress robes and sporting an almost giddy smile.  
"Ginny, come downstairs!" Hermione said. "You worked so hard to make this  
party excellent, you have to be part of it!"  
Ginny half-smiled. I'm the next Professor Trelawney, she thought dryly.  
"Hermione-"  
"No excuses, Gin, you're coming downstairs with me," Hermione ordered  
teasingly, grabbing her arm and practically dragging her out of the room.  
Well, at least we didn't have to suffer through a long, meaningful talk about how  
Harry's a fool if he doesn't notice me tonight but he will in time, Ginny thought as they  
walked back down the stairs. A few fairies, one glowing red and the other green, flew out  
of their way as they walked back into the living room.  
Fred and George were sitting on the sofa, telling a story about one of their pranks  
they'd played at Hogwarts during their first year. Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson (Soon  
to be Angelina Weasley, as the gold ring on her finger proclaimed...Ginny felt rather  
sorry for her), Katie Bell, Lee Jordan, and Ron were all laughing hysterically. Hermione  
eyed Ron with a smirk.  
"Where is he?" Ginny whispered.  
"Who?" Hermione asked, her cheeks flushing a bit as Ron gave her an  
over-exaggerated wink. She rolled her eyes at him, then turned back to Ginny.  
"Guess," Ginny said dryly.  
"Oh, HARRY," Hermione said.  
Brilliant, Sherlock, Ginny thought dryly.   
"He's in the kitchen, talking to Sirius and your mum and dad," Hermione said.  
"Oh, Hermione," Ginny whined. She knew Hermione hated it when she moaned  
and groaned to her, but she couldn't help it. "He likes talking to my PARENTS better  
than me!"  
"Ginny, he's just more comfortable around your parents, that's all," Hermione said  
soothingly. "I-"  
"Oh, Hermione, look who it is," Ginny interrupted, pointing at the door. Gilderoy  
Lockhart and Rita Skeeter had just walked in arm in arm. They were quite the couple  
around the Prophet, where they wrote a column together.  
"Oh, wonderful, my two favorite people," Hermione said dryly, then put on a  
bright smile as they walked towards her.  
"Hermione!" Rita Skeeter drawled, her voice simply drenched in fake warmth.  
"Miss Granger," Lockhart smiled, doing the seemingly impossible and managing  
to show every one of his teeth as he grinned.  
"Hello, Mr. Lockhart, Ms. Skeeter," Hermione said, smiling politely. "I didn't  
know you were attending."  
"Of course we were, dear girl!" Lockhart said, still smiling. It was rather  
frightening. "We never miss a good social event!"  
"Of...of course not," Hermione said weakly.  
"Well, we're off to go greet the Weasleys, darling!" Rita said, her voice still  
dripping with insincere kindness. "Good evening!"  
"Good evening," Hermione said. As soon as they turned their backs to them,  
Hermione's smile was replaced with a disgusted expression. "Oooh, I can't stand them!"  
"Your first true love and the woman you trapped in a jar for a summer," Ginny  
smiled. "Lovely co-workers."  
"He WASN'T my true love," Hermione said, disgusted. "He's awful, I can't believe  
I ever thought he was the slightest bit handsome. I can't see it at all now-"  
"Yes, you're more into the way-too-tall, redheaded type, huh?"  
"Maybe," Hermione said simply, staring at her hands.   
"Hermione, you can admit he's cute-" though I really can't see it, "-, he HAS been  
your boyfriend for three years now."  
"I suppose," Hermione said. "Oh, look, Ginny, there's Lavender and Seamus, let's go  
say hi, shall we?"  
Ginny laughed-Hermione never would admit it, or at least not without a fight.  
"Hermione, Ginny, hi!" Lavender exclaimed. "How are you?"  
"Great," Ginny said with a smile. Hermione nodded.  
"So, Ginny, how are things with Harry?"  
Nonexistent, Ginny thought bitterly. However, she forced her smile to remain on  
her face as she replied, "Fine."  
"And Hermione and Ron?" Lavender asked, turning to Hermione. Ginny sighed  
inwardly in relief. The spotlight had been taken off of her. "Any wedding bells in the  
future?"  
"What?!" Hermione's cheeks turned bright red, and Ginny held her hand over her  
mouth to smother her giggles. "Honestly, Lavender....I'm only nineteen!...weddings...Ron?!"  
"Who says you can't get married at nineteen?" Lavender asked coyly, fanning herself  
with the hand that wasn't entwined with Seamus's. A huge diamond ring sparkled on her  
finger.  
"Oh, congratulations, Lavender, Seamus!" Hermione exclaimed, smiling. "I can't  
believe it!" She enveloped Lavender in a hug, and Ginny and Seamus stared awkwardly at  
one another.  
"Um...congratulations," Ginny said weakly.  
"Thanks," Seamus said with a smile. "And you are..."  
"Ginny," she said. He stared blankly at her. "Ginny Weasley..."  
"Oh, yeah," Seamus grinned. "I knew I'd seen you somewhere!"  
Ginny nodded and forced a smile. "I have to...go. Nice talking to you."  
He lifted a hand in a wave, and Ginny made her way outside, muttering to herself.  
"'And you are...?' HONESTLY. I only went to Hogwarts with him for six years. No  
wonder Harry doesn't notice me...no one does...maybe I'm invisible...and MAD as well!  
Honestly, who holds conversations with themselves? I belong in St. Mungo's, I'm-"  
She was interrupted when someone walked straight into her. A very familiar  
green-eyed, black-haired someone.  
"Harry!" she exclaimed. At the same time, Harry said, "Ginny!"  
"Um, hello," they both muttered at each other.   
"What are you doing out here?" they both asked one another in unison.  
Oh, Lord, Ginny thought, feeling her cheeks heat up. Harry, however, started  
laughing. "We've got a bit of a psychic thing going here, huh?" he asked, grinning.  
Ginny tried to take a deep breath without looking like she was...it was quite  
difficult. Oh, stop beating so fast, she ordered her heart. It's just Harry...who I've been in  
love with since I was eleven...and want desperately to like me...and...  
"So, what are you doing out here?" Ginny asked, trying to sound casual.  
"I don't know..." Harry said softly, staring out at the yard. Mr. Weasley had used a  
few charms to grow Christmas trees on the lawn, and fairies zoomed across the skies in  
brilliant greens and reds. The snow was falling softly from the sky and forming a  
stunning blanket covering the ground.  
Harry continued after studying a fairy for a moment. "I just...wanted to get away. I  
mean, it's been almost two years, and still I'm always the hero."  
"Oh," Ginny said softly, not able to come up with anything more brilliant. Harry  
nodded. He looked as though he was about to walk away, but Ginny wouldn't let him.  
This was the first real conversation they'd had in....well, ever, and she wasn't about to let  
it just fade away.  
"So, why aren't you with Ron?" Ginny asked. Harry looked at her, confused, and  
Ginny wanted to punch herself.   
Oh, good job, Gin, she thought. Why not just tell him 'Go away'??  
"Isn't he with Hermione?" Harry said. Ginny detected a tiny bit of anger in his  
tone.  
"No, he was with the twins the last time I saw him," Ginny replied.  
"You mean he actually left her side for more than ten seconds?" Harry said  
bitterly. "The world must be flat."  
Ginny wasn't sure what to say to that...Harry wasn't usually the type to act jealous.  
Still, she had to feel sorry for him-it must have been difficult, to have his two best friends  
suddenly be a couple and he was just kind of left there.  
An awkward silence filled the air, and Ginny absently rocked back and forth to  
the faint sound of Christmas music playing inside. She could see Ron and Hermione  
dancing and whispering to each other through the window, and she knew that she  
couldn't let Harry see.  
But how could she distract him?  
He turned his head slightly, and she said the first thing that popped into her mind.  
"Want to dance?"  
Oh Lord, Gin, why did you have to say THAT, of all things? she thought angrily  
to herself, and she stared down at her red, sparkly fingernails.  
"Um...sure," Harry said, sounding confused.  
Taking a deep breath, Ginny stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. She  
closed her eyes and swayed back and forth softly, just savoring the moment...here she  
was, actually dancing with Harry! She didn't bother to worry about what he was thinking,  
or how he probably felt awkward and uncomfortable at the moment...it was just nice to  
not worry for a moment. Just to stand there, under the stars, and enjoy the most blissful,  
romantic moment of her life.  
After what seemed like both forever and a mere instant of silence, Harry said  
softly, "Hermione and Ron are dancing, aren't they? By the window, and you don't want  
me to see?"  
Ginny felt her heart drop slightly at his tone. "Yes," she said softly.  
Harry sighed and pulled away from her. "Didn't even have to turn around that  
time."  
Ginny longed to ask him if he wanted to talk about it, but she knew it wasn't her  
place. They weren't even really friends...just acquaintances, two people who had been  
together forever and yet never really gotten to know one another.  
Harry continued, sounding like he was talking to himself rather than to her. "It's  
just like we were always the three of us, and all of a sudden, we're not. I mean, they've  
liked each other since fifth year, but still...it was always the three of us, you know? And  
now that we've graduated, it seems like I'm not even there anymore. It's just them in their  
little world."  
"Oh, Harry," Ginny sighed softly. Her voice seemed to bring Harry back to reality,  
and he shook his head, then laughed shortly.   
"Sorry," he said, smiling weakly. "I know the last thing you want to do is sit  
around, listening to me complain."  
"Oh, no, it's all right," Ginny answered sincerely. "I know you must feel awful.  
But still...just try to forget about it. It's Christmas."  
Harry smiled at her, a bit more brightly than his previous one. "Yeah, you're  
right." He glanced briefly at Ron and Hermione, smiled wryly, and held out his hand.  
"So...you still up for that dance?"  
"Of course," Ginny said, smiling. She took his hand, then put her other hand on  
his shoulder, and they began to sway softly to the music again. Ginny smiled to herself  
and thought, So this party wasn't a total waste after all.  
She didn't notice as Ron and Hermione watched them, looking rather triumphant.  
  
~*~  
  
"They're dancing," Ron reported, grinning widely.  
"Ha!" Hermione said, removing her arms from Ron's shoulders to do a quick  
victory dance. "I told you it would work, didn't I? Just ignore Harry a bit, and it was obvious he would go to Ginny."  
"I admit, you were right," Ron said, pecking her on the cheek and stage  
whispering, "For once!" into her ear.  
"ExCUSE me?" Hermione asked, trying to hold back a smile. "I'm ALWAYS  
right."  
"Oh, of course, Queen Hermione," Ron said, not bothering to hold back his grin.  
"You've never been wrong...ever. Never ever. You've never done anything wrong in your  
whole perfect life."  
"Of course I haven't!"  
"Yes...it's not as if you got detention in our first year, or slapped Draco Malfoy  
across the face in our third-"  
"He DESERVED it," Hermione said indignantly. "And plus, I wasn't the one who  
'accidentally' cursed off his nose in the fifth year-"  
"Bloody brilliant," Ron laughed. "And Draco Malfoy, the bouncing ferret...even if  
the man was a Death Eater, you gotta have a little respect for someone who does  
something like that."  
"Oh, Ron, you're terrible," Hermione scolded lightly.  
He grinned cockily. "Oh, thank you, sweetie, I love you too."  
"You are impossible, hones-"  
She was cut off as Ron pressed his lips to hers.   
There was just something about Christmas that made kissing Ron even more  
perfect, as if it was the first one they'd shared....a magic seemed to surround them,  
blocking out everyone else and leaving only them in a world where pain, tears, and  
cruelty didn't exist.  
Only love.  
And outside at that very moment, a new world formed for two other young lovers  
as they experienced the same magic.   
  
  
~*~  
  
"Say that you'll stay  
Forever this way  
Forever and forever  
That we'll never have to change  
Don't move  
Don't breathe  
Don't change  
Don't leave  
And promise me  
Say you'll stay  
We'll stay  
This way."  
  
- This Way by Jewel  
  
  
THE END  
  
  
  
A/N 2 : Corny, yes, I know...I couldn't help myself :D I hope you can forgive me, Crystal  
*hehe* Oh well, corny and mushy as it was.....REVIEW ANYWAY! Ciao :) 


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